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Wisdom's Kiss

by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

3.03 of 5 stars 3.03 · rating details · 863 ratings · 265 reviews

Princess Wisdom, known as Dizzy, longs for a life of adventure far beyond the staid old kingdom of Montagne.

Tips, a soldier, longs to keep his true life secret from his family.

Fortitude, an orphaned maid, longs only for Tips.

These three passionate souls might just attain their dreams while preserving Montagne from certain destruction, if only they can tolerate each othe

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Hardcover, 314 pages

Published September 13th 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (first published September 12th 2011)

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Jun 12, 2011 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, children-s-middle-school, fairy-tales

Wisdom's Kiss is a children's fairy tale akin to Shannon Hale's and Jessica Day George's. There is a princess, magic, a scheming villain, a suspiciously smart cat, romance and a happy ending.

What distinguishes this tale from others in the genre is the book's format. Wisdom's Kiss is an assemblage of letters, diaries, a play, memoirs, encyclopedic entries, etc. Generally, I am quite fond of such narrative, as long as all formats are essential to the story and do not create redundancy. Here, howev...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Ita rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gave-up-did-not-finish, romance, ya

I love this author's contemp YA's so was eager to try her fantasy.

I am very sorry to say this book drove me crazy. I'm 2/3 of the way through and it's been a constant struggle. The story is told in an epistolary form (one of my favorites) but there are too many POVs. EIGHT! And a lot of it is a redundant telling of the story, which makes a very thin, weak plot unnecessarily long. There was quite a bit of humor and wit in the story, but it didn't make up for the weakness of the story or the char...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Clare Cannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 08-12yrs, 13-15yrs

I love Catherine Gilbert Murdock's writing because it is intelligent, highly unconventional and always makes me laugh.

Wisdom's Kiss is even more unconventional than her other books, and I would highly recommend it for brave readers. The storytelling is unusual with each character narrating their part in 2-3 page chapters, alternating between the script of a stage play, letters from one character to another, diary entries and heirloom stories passed on to a younger generation.

The characters are...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

I wanted to love this book. It had a cute format, told through letters, autobiographies, encyclopedia entries, etc., and each character had a unique voice. However, the format also served to distance me from the characters a little, and while the external plot was fairly sound, the characters themselves didn't seem to go through much transformation at all. I would recommend this book to people who are fans of diary-style fiction and lighthearted reads, but there's not too much substance here.

Als...more

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May 12, 2013 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

While this is not a sequel to "Princess Ben," it is set in the same world and Beneficent does make a pretty strong appearance. With that said, her granddaughter and two other characters are the stars of this fairy tale romance that seems to have a twist of the humor that readers would find familiar if they are fans of "The Princess Bride."

Wisdom, whom everyone seems to refer to as Dizzy, is on her way from the female-led kingdom of Montagne with her grandmother (the Queen Mother) Ben to wed a ne...more While this is not a sequel to "Princess Ben," it is set in the same world and Beneficent does make a pretty strong appearance. With that said, her granddaughter and two other characters are the stars of this fairy tale romance that seems to have a twist of the humor that readers would find familiar if they are fans of "The Princess Bride."

Wisdom, whom everyone seems to refer to as Dizzy, is on her way from the female-led kingdom of Montagne with her grandmother (the Queen Mother) Ben to wed a nearby duke for political reasons. Dizzy is lest thrilled at that, though it is important to her sister and queen Temperance. She is also finding that it seems like there is nothing that she can do that would make anyone from Beneficent to Temperance.

Things get even more difficult when they are joined by a young girl who goes from being a barmaid to being a lady-in-waiting when Dizzy and Ben find their whole retinue stricken with food poisoning. They still need a servant and Fortitude, whom everyone calls Trudy, seems perfectly chosen for just that. She is able to quickly capture the traditions of such a position while also excelling in sewing and other lady's arts.

Trudy is also pining a way for a young man she had grown up with. They were friends and starting to fall in love when his father died. Tomas, called Tips, had a choice to make after his father's death. He could work in the mill being run by his brothers or he could join the master swordsman Felis el Gato on adventures throughout the empire, training to become a master swordsman himself. Not surprisingly, Tips chose the latter.

The three characters find their stories being told in a variety of forms including diary entries, personal letters, a plays script, encyclopedia definitions, and a telling of the tale from one of the characters to her daughter. While the humor and plot are quite entertaining and the format was quite fine, I did find it a little difficult to keep the characters clearly identified because they are variably identified by their given names, which are all personality traits for the women, and their nicknames. As a result, I was constantly trying to remember who was who as the story progressed.

With that said, I thought that Murdock did a great job of doing what she did with "Princess Ben" ... create a story that fits the mold of a fairy tale while being totally unique and new. Unfortunately, I do think that teen readers don't generally find their way to her new fairy tales even as her realistic fiction/sports books have done fairly well.

This is definitely worth a try for those who like fractured fairy tales or are looking for something in the vein of "The Princess Bride." I don't believe that it is important to have read "Princess Ben" before reading it. While Ben does play a major role in the story, there is really no reference to the previous adventures in her own book. It is definitely a fun and light read. It is not overwhelmed by romance, and it also has its share of adventure.(less)

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Mar 19, 2013 Janelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Eh. This was a very interesting book, but not exactly, gripping. It's placed in medieval times with wisdom, aka Dizzy as the main character. My first thought? Seriously? Dizzy? And all the girls in the land are named after virutes, Fortitude, Wisdom, Temperence. Yeah, Fun. Anyway, wisdom is an idiot. She gets married within the first two pages to a guy she doesn't even know, only because he seems exciting. then she ditches him for the next exciting guy she meets, who happens to be other main cha...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Tiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

There were too many different points of view, in my opinion. (8! Probably about 7 too many.) It was confusing, especially in the beginning when I didn't know all of the different characters. I think the ones that were written as a play were the biggest culprit of this confusion. When the first "play" came about, I thought that it must be depicting events well into the past since it was written about a past event. But, the plays are in line (chronologically) with everything else, so everything un...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Dlora rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, humor, romance

Catherine Gilbert Murdock said that she "enjoyed Wisdom's Kiss more than anything [she'd] ever created." Of the five books of hers I have read, I have to admit it was my least favorite. I adored her modern-day teen Dairy Queen series. It's not that I don't like fantasy--I really do very much. It's that WisK (the author's shorthand title) was told from eight (EIGHT!) viewpoints, which, while allowing for varied perspectives and dramatic tension, made it a bit hard for me to keep track of what was...more Catherine Gilbert Murdock said that she "enjoyed Wisdom's Kiss more than anything [she'd] ever created." Of the five books of hers I have read, I have to admit it was my least favorite. I adored her modern-day teen Dairy Queen series. It's not that I don't like fantasy--I really do very much. It's that WisK (the author's shorthand title) was told from eight (EIGHT!) viewpoints, which, while allowing for varied perspectives and dramatic tension, made it a bit hard for me to keep track of what was what, at least until I got thoroughly enmeshed in the story. I see that it helped the author control the pacing of the story and did a good job revealing the internal and external conflicts for the characters, but it made me less able to identify with the main character; I wasn't entirely sure which one was the main character (my favorite person actually became the Dowager Queen Ben.) I'm sure Catherine Murdock had a lot of fun creating and keeping consistent the various voices:
1. Fortitude of Bacio, known as Trudy, in a biography by her daughter
2. Excerpts from a screenplay, "Queen of All the Heavens"
3. Reflections from Wilhemina, the ambitious Duchess of Farina
4. The Encyclopedia of Lax, giving background information about the various kingdoms and important people in the empire of Lax
5. Letters from Tips to his childhood friend Trudy
6. Letters from the Queen Mother Ben to her daughter Temperance (the heroine of the previous book Princess Ben years later; read this book first for a fuller background to this present story)
7. Entries from the private diary of Wisdom of Montagne (known as Dizzy)
8. The Memoirs of Felis El Gato, the Booted Maestro.
I actually liked the back material the very best. Murdock's glossary of unusual words in the books was funny and clever. Be sure to read it. And I loved the inside information about how Murdock puts together her stories, based on the structure and format of three-act play: the first quarter introduces the characters, the middle two quarters escalates conflict culminating in a "low point" (I really noticed and felt this in this story), and the last quarter resolves everything and the hero emerges emotionally and/or physically victorious. I loved the internal and external conflicts of the character and the pacing of the story. I actually think I'd enjoy reading this book a second time noticing all the craft of writing.
Luan, you would love this back material!!(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Adrienne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Orphaned Trudy and the miller's son Tips have long been friends when Tips is offered an opportunity to become a solider. He becomes an apprentice to Felis el Gato and spends years away from Trudy, communicating only by mail. Trudy, who has a gift of foresight (to a certain extent anyway), stays in their village, hoping for his return. When Princess Wisdom, on her way to her wedding, and her grandmother, Nonna Ben, stop at Trudy's inn, they enlist her to become a lady-in-waiting, as their ladies-...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Mimi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenagers

This book was simply ok. There is a character in this novel from the author's previous novel, Princess Ben, so you might want to read that one first, but you don't have to. (I didn't, and it's not listed as a sequel.)

Okay, this book was written through letters, journal entries, and a play script through many different characters. So you get to know the motivation of a lot of different people, which perhaps would be useful for younger readers.

(view spoiler)...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Being fond of Princess Ben, I was excited to read another fairy-tale by this author. And then I read the synopsis and, let me tell you, it sounded stupid. And I started it...and it was stupid. I disliked Princess Wisdom. I couldn't believe Murdock could so mercilessly slaughter the character of Ben! I was terribly disappointed.
But…I kept reading anyway. And I began to like the “Nonna Ben.” I still despised Wisdom, but my problem was I expected her to be the main character. The slightly disjointe...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

This amusing story is told through a combination of narrative form, letters, diaries, and encyclopaedia entries, and even a play. The main characters here are Princess Wisdom, otherwise known as Dizzy. Then there’s Tips, a soldier who’s trying to keep his true identity a secret. And last, there’s Fortitude, an orphaned maid who longs for Tips and has an unusual gift of sight. They must work together in order to preserve their empire from ruin, and they might even accomplish their dreams on the w...more

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Feb 08, 2012 kari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya

This was was entertaining to read. It is told from various viewpoints; diaries, letters, histories, some true, some perhaps embellished. I lilked the style of it with those various voices.
Unfortunately, it didn't quite all add up to a great story. It seems that the sum of the parts are far less than the whole in this case. It feels as if without the literary gymnastics, which are fun so I'm not complaining, this wouldn't be much of a story. Maybe because of the various focuses, it didn't feel t...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars

I adored Ms. Murdock’s Dairy Queen series, and it’s surprising that the same author wrote Wisdom’s Kiss. It’s a sequel to Princess Ben (Ms. Murdock has stated otherwise, but since reading Wisdom’s Kiss first would give away the plot and the twists of Princess Ben, I call it a sequel). An amalgamation of fairy tale and swashbuckling adventure, Wisdom’s Kiss features eight different POVs, all written in drastically different styles – everything from a rambling, stream-of-conscious diary to a dry e...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ncbla

I like the cover of this book, and having enjoyed Dairy Queen--football, romance, and cows in Wisconsin--and Princess Ben, which precedes this title, I thought it would be likely that I would enjoy it too. Unfortunately, it took quite awhile for me to get into the story. There were too many characters and events about which I knew very little, and the fact that at least one of them (Tips)is not being completely honest in his letters to his childhood sweetheart added to the problem. Then, too, I...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, children, fantasy, romance

This sequel to Princess Ben is told in diary entries, letters, a play, and more. Princess Wisdom, called Dizzy, wants nothing more than to have adventures outside of her own country of Montaigne, where her sister Temperance is queen. Clairvoyant Fortitude, called Trudy, a serving girl in the town of Bartshow, wants nothing but the return of her childhood friend and love Tipps, who went off to be a soldier. Tipps, who is actually not a soldier, wants only to return to Fortitude...or so he thinks....more

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Oct 18, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: I had read Dairy Queens and Princess Ben written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and I loved her writing style and how unconventional her stories were. So, I was super excited to be able to review Wisdom’s Kiss and I had high hopes for this story. The book synopsis sounded intriguing and I was interested in how the author would handle the many different POV’s in the story. I also love black cats!

First 50 Pages: I kn...more See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: I had read Dairy Queens and Princess Ben written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and I loved her writing style and how unconventional her stories were. So, I was super excited to be able to review Wisdom’s Kiss and I had high hopes for this story. The book synopsis sounded intriguing and I was interested in how the author would handle the many different POV’s in the story. I also love black cats!

First 50 Pages: I knew going into this book that the writing was very different from what I am use to. Right in the book synopsis it says that this book is told with diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, even a stage play, all woven together. Naturally, I was expecting that. But, maybe I wasn’t fully prepared. I had to go through almost the entire book before I started getting into this style of writing. It was just so odd, but unique. I’m not sure if it is for everyone. I think some people will be irritated by this.

Plot: As for the characters, each had their own, original voice. It was easy to distinguish one from another. However, I felt like there were too many characters for such a short book. It took me a long time to feel connected to any of the characters, simply because I wasn’t given enough time (or length) with each of them. There is a total of 8 POV’s in this story and I think that it was way, way too much for a book that is just over 300 pages long.

The plot itself was interesting and enjoyable though despite the fact I had some major issues with this book. It gives exactly what it promises one the cover: “A Thrilling and Romantic Adventure Incorporating Magic, Villainy and a Cat.” The romantic aspect of this book was lacking compared to other books, but I believe that this book is meant for a younger reader and not an older teen or young adult, so I can understand why the romance isn’t all that spectacular. I think I would have enjoyed a bit more romance to be completely honest.

Final Thoughts: This book is a hard one to give an excellent recommendation to. I had a “love/hate” relationship with it. I loved the premise of the book, but ended up disliking all of the different POV’s in the story. It had its flaws. I do think a younger reader will probably enjoy it, but if you are over the age of 15, you might want to pick up something else. I just don’t think this was the authors best and I think she could have done a better job. (less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, historical, non-erotic, science-fiction-fantasy, young-adult

Originally posted at:http://longandshortreviews.blogspo...

The cover of this book has the words “A Thrilling and Romantic Adventure Incorporating Magic, Villainy and a Cat”. These words say it all.

Princess Wisdom (Dizzy) becomes engaged to the man who has arrived to court her sister, Queen of Montagne. She travels with her grandmother (Ben - Queen Mother of Montagne) to her betrothed’s home. Crisis after crisis delays their arrival, eventually stranding them in an inn in Bacio with their ladies-...more Originally posted at:http://longandshortreviews.blogspo...

The cover of this book has the words “A Thrilling and Romantic Adventure Incorporating Magic, Villainy and a Cat”. These words say it all.

Princess Wisdom (Dizzy) becomes engaged to the man who has arrived to court her sister, Queen of Montagne. She travels with her grandmother (Ben - Queen Mother of Montagne) to her betrothed’s home. Crisis after crisis delays their arrival, eventually stranding them in an inn in Bacio with their ladies-in-waiting suffering from food poisoning.

Trudy, chambermaid at the Bacio inn, has written to her childhood sweetheart Tips for years. She has the ability to see the future or, to be more exact, which is the right path to take for a good future. Unaware of this, the Queen Mother invites her to join them as a lady-in-waiting for their visit to the duchy of Froglock where Dizzy’s intended awaits them at Phraugheloch, the ducal residence.

Although her prescience warns Dizzy is not good for her own future, Trudy is overcome by the knowledge Tips will be in Froglock. Lady Fortitude, the title Ben gives Trudy, arrives in Froglock and chaos erupts. Dizzy’s future mother-in-law intends to get rid of her after the wedding, the Emperor is also in Froglock with his own hidden agenda. Tips and his master have accompanied him. The fairy story takes a dark twist as they all try to achieve their own aims.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a modern fairy tale complete with hero, heroine, villain and various helpful minor characters. Despite the eight points of view it flowed well, carrying the story seamlessly throughout the book.

Both Trudy and Dizzy’s inner thoughts added spice to the story, but still kept it sweet and light. At first I wondered where the author intended to take the storyline but after a few chapters I didn’t care. I was too entranced by what would happen next. If Star Wars is a futuristic Cinderella, then Wisdom’s Kiss is a realistic Cinderella. I say this because the actions and reactions of the characters reflected the way modern misses would react in similar situations.

To get the full flavour of this story the book must be read from cover to cover. Delightful, engaging, captivating. These three words describe my feelings as I read this book. Suitable and entertaining for any reader, young and old.

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Sep 07, 2011 Deborah Andreasen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Trudy is a young orphan with a gift for seeing the future. Tips is also an orphan, who struggles with the oppressive hate of his older brothers and the dismal future of running the family mill. They’ve been best friends since infancy, and Trudy hopes Tips is her future. When a man comes to take Tips as his apprentice to become a soldier, Trudy hates to see him go but knows it’s for the best.

Six years later, when both are grown and waiting to be reunited, fate and politics intervene. Suddenly, Tr...more Trudy is a young orphan with a gift for seeing the future. Tips is also an orphan, who struggles with the oppressive hate of his older brothers and the dismal future of running the family mill. They’ve been best friends since infancy, and Trudy hopes Tips is her future. When a man comes to take Tips as his apprentice to become a soldier, Trudy hates to see him go but knows it’s for the best.

Six years later, when both are grown and waiting to be reunited, fate and politics intervene. Suddenly, Trudy finds herself as Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Wisdom, or Dizzy for short. Dizzy is traveling with her Grandmother, the Queen Mother Benevolence, to her wed a conniving duchess’s son.

When Trudy sees the princess, she senses pain. Dizzy will cause Trudy heartbreak and pain.

Too soon, Trudy and Tips meet again, but Tips has been keeping secrets. Trudy’s vision of Wisdom comes true. But can the two abide each other long enough to save a nation?

--

The title and cover of this book was so intriguing, I was very excited to read Wisdom’s Kiss. It started off gripping! And then it turned confusing…

I didn’t realize this book was told from no less than eight point of views! Memoirs, letters, diaries, encyclopedias, and a play. A play? Yeah. A play. It’s completely random, slightly genius, and a bit confusing. I would love to say, “Oh, the author should have just cut out…” but the rest of the story wouldn’t have woven as well. It’s just a bit tiresome to work that hard to figure out what’s going on.

The story itself is really good. I have to say though, I was furious with Tips. Furious. I won’t say more than that. But his act alone put a sour taste in my mouth that I never really could get rid of.

The author wrote Princess Ben, which I read well a over a year ago. I remembered a few key points from the book, and I remembered that I really liked it.

While reading Wisdom’s Kiss, I thought, “Wow, this author really likes the name Benevolence.” Which she shortens to Ben. And then, further in, I thought, “Wow. This author really likes to use doppelgangers in her books.” And then a light flashed so brightly in my dense little head that I was practically blinded! The Queen Mother Benevolence is Princess Ben! While the author asserts this is not a sequel to Princess Ben, and I’d agree, I still thought it was kind of a forehead slapper when I realized it. No, you don’t need to have read Princess Ben to understand Wisdom’s Kiss, but I wish it hadn’t been so long since I read it. I might have picked up on a few things I missed.

While I really did enjoy the story, I was completely thrown by having to work so hard to understand what was happening. Plus Tips just ruined it for me. (less)

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Aug 16, 2011 Sharon Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a young adult novel also appropriate for tweens and adults that is ready for release on September 12 2011. The story is that of three young people trying to find their way in a world what just might not be ready for them. Trudy, or later Fortitude, is an orphan that has the ability to see into the future, not precise pictures but the emotions that certain directions, people or actions might bring about. All Trudy wants is a home and family, with Tips...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Mj rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, blog

Wisdom’s Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Publication Date: Sept 12, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group
ARC Copy from Netgalley.com

Wisdom’s Kiss is basically a fairy tale containing a mixture of adventure, fantasy, romance, and mystery. The format of the story is very diverse, utilizing diary entries, encyclopedia articles, dialogue from a play, and letters. This varied means of telling the story is interesting, but at times can feel as though the storyline jumps aroun...more Wisdom’s Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Publication Date: Sept 12, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group
ARC Copy from Netgalley.com

Wisdom’s Kiss is basically a fairy tale containing a mixture of adventure, fantasy, romance, and mystery. The format of the story is very diverse, utilizing diary entries, encyclopedia articles, dialogue from a play, and letters. This varied means of telling the story is interesting, but at times can feel as though the storyline jumps around.
The setting begins in the town of Bacio, where Trudy, Lady Fortitude, lives as an orphan in a small inn. Trudy has the magical gift of sight, even though she has no skill in using the talent. The background tells the reader that she grew up close to a young man named Tips, who lived with his older brothers in Bacio, until being recruited by Sir Felis El Gato, a rather unique and flashy character with his own story to tell. Tips and Trudy continue their relationship through letters for six years following his departure from their small town.
As the story progresses, Trudy meets Princess Wisdom, also known as “Dizzy,” and her grandmother, Queen Ben of Montagne as they travel through Bacio on their way to Dizzy’s wedding to Baron Roger of Farina. As a result of an ill-timed incident, Trudy must go with Dizzy and Queen Ben to Farina as a lady-in-waiting. In spite of her reluctance to travel to Montagne with Dizzy with whom she has an adversarial relationship, she is quite happy to have the opportunity to see Tips, who is currently in Farina. Upon their arrival in Farina, the story continues to unfold. The plot becomes more complex with the meeting between Dizzy and Tips, the escalation of tension between Dizzy and Trudy, and the introduction of the evil villain, Duchess Wilhelmina.
Magic cats, spontaneous fire, and enchanted spells are just a few of the elements that add to the fairy tale aura of the book. The book contains references to more than one fairy tale. The author has been very liberal with her wordplay, which will not be appreciated by a younger audience, but was amusing to this reader. The inclusion of a glossary of unusual words used in the book will be helpful for the younger readers who I believe will find this book appealing. The book strikes me as being appropriate for middle school audiences, grades 6-8. While the story has some mature subject matter, the overall story lacks emotional depth for a true young adult story.

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Mar 30, 2012 Collin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairytales

Just to clarify, I believe this is kind of a companion/standalone sequel to Princess Ben. I haven't read that, but it's not hard to guess when the old Queen Mother goes around with the appellation of 'Nonna Ben.' Having not read Princess Ben (yet - I'm getting to it), I'm not sure if this is a decent sequel, so I'll just comment on Wisdom Kiss's quality alone.

First off - it sounds GREAT. It's got a wonderful little hook. The princess, the maid, the soldier - it sounds like it'd be a perfect litt...more Just to clarify, I believe this is kind of a companion/standalone sequel to Princess Ben. I haven't read that, but it's not hard to guess when the old Queen Mother goes around with the appellation of 'Nonna Ben.' Having not read Princess Ben (yet - I'm getting to it), I'm not sure if this is a decent sequel, so I'll just comment on Wisdom Kiss's quality alone.

First off - it sounds GREAT. It's got a wonderful little hook. The princess, the maid, the soldier - it sounds like it'd be a perfect little fantasy read. But what it doesn't tell you (except in little print at the bottom of the sleeve - and who reads that, anyway? amirite?) is that it's a epistolary novel, told in books/letters/encyclopedia entries/what have you.

I love epistolary novels. But I think it kinda took away from Wisdom's Kiss, because, as much as you'd expect otherwise, it kept me distant from the main characters. Princess Wisdom, or Dizzy, never got past the infuriating, airheaded princess who, typically, didn't want to be a princess. Fortitude, or Trudy, never got past a weepy, love-lorn little serving girl trailing after soldier/acrobat Tomas Müller, or Tips. And Tips was... I'm not really sure what I think of Tips. Was Tips an actual character, or just a cardboard cutout for Dizzy and Trudy to fall in love with? (The whole Dizzy/Tips romance was embarrassing. As annoying as she was, Trudy deserved better than THAT.)

What saved the book was actually Queen Mother Ben and her cat, Escoffier. And, somehow, Queen Temperance, though... she never actually came in... I'm not sure how that worked out, actually. But I liked Temperance. Queen Mother Ben was pretty spectacular, though. I would read the whole thing again for her.

So I'm torn. On the one hand, it had a very good plot and pacing (except towards the end, where it suddenly raced ahead like... something that races). On the other hand, Dizzy, Trudy, and Tips made it almost unbearable. On the third hand, watching the scheming of Queen Mother Ben and the Duchess Wilhelmina was inordinately entertaining. I'm torn.(less)

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Sep 10, 2011 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

Although not obviously apparent for most of the book, this is actually a reimagined fairy tale. The whole thing does read like a fairy tale, with princesses and betrayal and cats and magic. What makes this book really stand out is the method that Murdock uses to tell the story. Most of the plot unfolds through characters memoirs written ex post facto, diary entries or letters written to others. There are also little snippets of plays interspersed between the other formats. These generally depict...more Although not obviously apparent for most of the book, this is actually a reimagined fairy tale. The whole thing does read like a fairy tale, with princesses and betrayal and cats and magic. What makes this book really stand out is the method that Murdock uses to tell the story. Most of the plot unfolds through characters memoirs written ex post facto, diary entries or letters written to others. There are also little snippets of plays interspersed between the other formats. These generally depicted a scene that had been already described but in extra-dramatic Shakespearean style. I thought this way of telling the story showed ingenuity and was surprisingly effective.

The characters, however, did not meet with similar satisfaction. So many of them were incredibly dumb, including the poorly-named wisdom. Really the only one I liked at all was Trudy, who had a seriously awkward ending. She's the first character you meet, but her story is rattled off like a note in the end credits. The Queen Mother, who I believe is Ben from Princess Ben, one of Murdock's earlier novels that I have not read, is awkward. If her young character is anything like this crazy grandmother, I'm not sure that I want to read that book. If young Ben is not this way, why would you do this to her? And what happened to her husband?

My only previous experience with Murdock was Dairy Queen, which I did not like. For one thing, I have no interest in football. For another, the main character was not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, which, since the story was written in first person, meant that the writing was not particularly good. Plus, she was a serious jerk to her best friend when the friend confessed that she was a lesbian. The writing in Wisdom's Kiss was, for the most part better, although Tips' letters drove me crazy.

All in all, this is a very odd book, but it was rather amusing and constructed in a unique manner. I enjoyed reading it and my opinion of Murdock has improved slightly, but she's still not going to be a favorite author.(less)

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Sep 03, 2011 Kathy Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This fairy tale-like story is told in a unique and humorous way. The story is pretty simple. A boy - Tips - and girl - Trudy - are each other's only friends. The boy has a chance to go out into the larger world and writes back to the girl. They grow up with the girl believing that one day the boy will come back to her. She gets a chance to go where the boy now is and finds that he has fallen in love with another - Princess Wisdom. Complicating matters is the fact the Wisdom is on her way to be m...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Rebekah Snyder rated it 2 of 5 stars

I liked Princess Ben, so I thought I would like this book, but I sadly found myself disappointed. It was very scattered... With different characters telling different parts of the story and I felt that I could never quite keep up with what was going on. Be warned that Catherine Gilbert Murdock's books are whimsical and very cheesy... Which isn't bad. As I said, I liked Princess Ben. Perhaps if I had read Wisdom's Kiss in a different mood I would have liked it? (Though I still don't think it was...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Kristin Lundgren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy

This is a frothy delightful confection of a book. Told in a series of letters, diaries, encyclopedia entries, and even a play, it deals with the fairy-tale like exploits of a tavern girl named Trudy, her long gone love, a soldier (perhaps), named Tips, and a recalcitrant princess bride named Wisdom (aka Dizzy). Add in an unusual emperor and his traveling circus, a mysterious cat, some magic, a scheming duchess, a kindly dowager queen, and Wisdom's sister, who now sits in the throne of one the th...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Stephanie Jobe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a little worried that this book was going to be too cute but it was just right. That sounds silly but anyway…

Fortitude, known as Trudy has the gift of sight, it is not very specific but it has come quite in handy, even if she is only a barmaid. Though it isn’t always easy, she didn’t see the woman carrying disease in time to save her mother and she told her best friend, Tip, that he would have to leave her and become a soldier. Princess Wisdom is on the way to her betrothed but is it what...more I was a little worried that this book was going to be too cute but it was just right. That sounds silly but anyway…

Fortitude, known as Trudy has the gift of sight, it is not very specific but it has come quite in handy, even if she is only a barmaid. Though it isn’t always easy, she didn’t see the woman carrying disease in time to save her mother and she told her best friend, Tip, that he would have to leave her and become a soldier. Princess Wisdom is on the way to her betrothed but is it what she really wants? Everyone has secrets, even the cat, but this might prove to be a very dangerous combination.

It’s true everyone here has a secret. I didn’t even really realize the degree until I had finished and was like wow, interestingly it did not feel like revelation, revelation, revelation, which was impressive. The format is interesting: it is a combination of encyclopedia entries, book and play excerpts, journal entries and letters. Sometimes I don’t like this but Murdock managed to make them slide together well. The rotation of documents and the fact that they were all used throughout without any one having to ever carry it for too long… I mean it is easy to follow but from a writing perspective it is obviously carefully done. It also makes for short little sections, the kind that always make my mother and I go “I’ll just read one more little bit” about 10 times. I did have one reflective moment at the end when my analytical brain turned on and thought about the number of letters and the time it took them to travel and I made kind of a funny face but it was of no real impact.

There were times when I laughed and giggled aloud, okay it was pretty often. Some characters stayed close to their stereotype base but it suited them, like the Duchess. Trudy and Wisdom especially were developed and even grew through the story to be far beyond simple barmaid and flighty princess. To be sure this is a very female driven book, honestly as dashing as Tip is Escoffier, the cat, is more a leading male in my opinion. This one is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. It requires a sense of humor and a willingness to be silly but it is well worth the effort.

Source: ARC from ALA 2011(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2012, princess

I liked it. It was cute and sweet, but not amazing.

What worked:

The Queen Mother and her Cat. Ben as a grandmother was funny and sassy and very princess-in-a-cute-story. I liked that.

Some of the different gimmicks. I don't normally enjoy pages of letters, diaries, etc. But it sometimes worked for me. I did like the encyclopedia entries, partly because I ADORE worldbuilding.

What didn't work:

The Duchess's journal entries. Now, I know I am not the target audience for this book: it's pretty middle...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Susannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cya-ya

This is a cleverly written, epistolary novel. The story is comprised of letters, encyclopaedia entries,journal entries, memoirs, a character's privately published history, and even a play. The story takes place in the Empire of Lax, and involves a love triangle between Trudy (Lady Fortitude), Tomas (Tips), and Princess Wisdom of Montagne(Dizzy). The princess is meant to marry Roger, the Duke of Farina, but his mother has a sinister plot to gain the throne of Montagne;adding that territory to tha...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mg-and-ya-modern-folk-tales-fairy-t

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Had this book ended differently, it would have been a 4, maybe even 5 star book in terms of my personal enjoyment, but, it ended the way it did which added a level of frustration that marred my enjoyment.

This book is basically a re-telling of Puss in Boots with a smattering of other fairy tale references thrown in, so I get why Tips ended up with the princess; that's what happens in the story. What was the point then, of having a love triangle which is not part of the original story? My frustrat...more

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About Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I grew up in small-town Connecticut, on a tiny farm with honeybees, two adventurous goats, and a mess of Christmas trees. My sister claims we didn’t have a television, but we did, sometimes – only it was ancient, received exactly two channels, and had to be turned off after 45 minutes to cool down or else the screen would go all fuzzy. Watching (or rather, “watching”) Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds...more I grew up in small-town Connecticut, on a tiny farm with honeybees, two adventurous goats, and a mess of Christmas trees. My sister claims we didn’t have a television, but we did, sometimes – only it was ancient, received exactly two channels, and had to be turned off after 45 minutes to cool down or else the screen would go all fuzzy. Watching (or rather, “watching”) Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was quite the experience, because it’s hard to tell a flock of vicious crows from a field of very active static; this might be why I still can’t stand horror movies, to this day.

My sister Liz, who is now a Very Famous Writer with a large stack of books, was my primary companion, even though she was extremely cautious – she wouldn’t even try to jump off the garage roof, which involved crouching right at the edge for ten minutes working up your nerve, and then checking each time you landed to see if you’d broken anything – and she learned early on that losing at games was easier in the long run than putting up with me losing. Now, of course, she travels all over the world collecting stories and diseases, while I stay at home scowling over paint chips, and losing on purpose to my kids. So the cycle continues. (Read an New York Times article by Catherine and Liz.)

People sometimes ask if I played football in high school: no. I ran cross country and track, badly, but I have absolutely no skill whatsoever with ball or team sports. Plus my high school didn’t even have a football team. Instead, I was part of the art clique – taking extra art classes, spending my study halls and lunch periods working on my latest still life. (Please tell me this was not a unique experience.) I didn’t do much writing – my sister was the anointed writer – but I read my little eyeballs out. I was the queen of our library’s YA section.

In college I studied architectural history. The formal name was “Growth and Structure of Cities Program,” but for me, it was all about buildings. I’ve always been fascinated with the built environment – how spaces fit together, how streets work, how they read. And curiously (Warning: Life Lesson approaching), it’s paid off in the oddest ways. For example, several of us in our neighborhood recently got quite upset about a enormous building going in across the street, and while everyone agreed that they didn’t like the way it looked, I was the one who stood up at public meetings and used words like entablature and cornice line and fenestration – all this architectural jargon I’d learned back at Bryn Mawr – and sounded like I knew what I was talking about. And because of that, the building ended up getting redesigned, and – in my humble opinion – now will look much more attractive and appropriate, which is nice because I’ll be looking at it for the rest of my life. So don’t be afraid to study what you love, because you do not know now, and you may not know for twenty years, how amazingly it will pay off. But it will.

Dairy Queen was my first stab at creative writing since high school, not counting several years as a struggling screenwriter (which followed several years as a struggling scholar). I unabashedly recommend screenwriting for mastering the art of storytelling; just don’t pin any hopes on seeing your work on the big screen. But you’ll learn so much in the process that this won’t matter. I also recommend, you know, living. I've been passionate about food pretty much my whole life – first eating it, now preparing and then eating it. And so it plays a pretty big role in my writing, and adds so much flavor . . . not literally, of course, but the more you can add that's true, whether it's emotion or geography or gardening (that’s me in the picture above), then the stronger that story is. (less)

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